Aug 012015
 

THIS+IS+FINEI just read “Three Bodies At Mitanni” by Seth Dickinson.

Oh my god.

At first you think it’s about Hanson-style Ems. Then you think it’s about p-zombies. Then you think it’s about pathological altruism. Then you make the connection to Meditations on Moloch. Then you realize it’s the story-fication of the picture to the left. And then, in the end, you realize it isn’t about any of those things. Or rather, it isn’t *just* about those things. It is about you.

This is Rational Fiction by a Rationalist that is a Cautionary Tale About Rationalism. And it’s really fucking good. Seth Dickinson continues to be one of the most important writers of our generation.

I only wish it was available in a format that people in my generation could ACTUALLY READ. Right now you can only get it by tracking down a June 2015 dead-tree copy of Analogy Science Fiction (the special 1000th issue!).

But if you get a chance, I highly recommend it. Hopefully Seth will make it available online someday.


[EDIT 8/23/22] – This is now available online in epub form, from Forever magazine, issue 67. Still gotta pay for it, but at least it’s super easy! Thank you Ross Presser!

I also created an audio version with Seth’s permission

  6 Responses to ““Three Bodies At Mitanni” by Seth Dickinson”

  1. *psst*

    you didn’t hear this from me, but the 1kth issue might possibly be available online

    from the following

    [removed]

    hypothetically

    not that I would know anything aabout that

    • I appreciate what you are trying to do. I too think that great works should be available for everyone to experience. But I’m really uncomfortable letting that link stay up on my blog. I’m not Seth, he might not be ok with it; and I hope to someday have a working relationship with Analog, and I’m pretty darn sure they wouldn’t be ok with it. So I’ve removed the link, sorry.

  2. That URL (even when decoded) doesn’t work for me. I’m getting “connection refused”. Thanks anyway!

  3. You’d think it’s about philosophical zombies, but actually it’s about baby-eating aliens. The story starts as an attempt to discuss some ideas about self-awareness and conscientiousness, but it completely falls apart when it comes to survival. Terminally ill people show more will to live than the character who’s core imperative has been declared to be survival at all costs. As the result the whole thing turns into a farce which actually is good because in it’s core it’s this old call for humanity to start killing off their own children that have the potential to grow better than their parents.

    Thank you for the audio version, it’s so good one might turn a blind eye to the text to enjoy the rendition.

  4. This is available in epub form, from Forever magazine, issue 67

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